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Linux Format

There’s never been a better time to start using Linux and you’ve never had a better chance than with this month’s issue of Linux Format! We’re packing the ideal Linux starter pack with a bootable Live Disc that you can just insert and run, alongside a 9-page guide on getting up and running with Linux in just 60 minutes! Amazing.
We’re standing on the shoulders of giants here. Dedicated, diligent, development geniuses have poured billions (probably) of hours into creating an open source ecosystem, which delivers an operating system kernel that’s capable of powering super computers, world-spanning enterprises, your home desktop and the meek Raspberry Pi.
This flexibility and open nature means people can create beginner-friendly versions of Linux distros (that’s what we call complete operating systems around these parts) with modern desktop interfaces and selected custom application suites. All this goodness comes wrapped up in a simple installer system to help get it onto your PC.
Linux distros don’t bug you for updates, they don’t snoop on you, there’s almost no Linux malware, there’s no bundleware and you’re not locked out from playing, exploring and hacking the OS to your heart’s content. If you want to have fun with your computers again, give it a try – you might like it!

I’ve always built my own PCs. Perhaps it’s the maker in me, but why pay someone else to have all the fun, when I can do as good a job myself? The sad truth is – while I’ve built other systems – my main home system has remained more or less the same Intel Sandybridge Core i5 2500K from back in 2011, and why not? With 16GB of memory it’s remained more than fast enough. A new graphics card here, an updated motherboard there and it’s stayed competitive for my needs.
Six years on and it finally looks like there’s a range of affordable upgrade options from both Intel and AMD – six cores, multiple threads, lower-power use, better hardware acceleration, faster interfaces – that make an upgrade really desirable.

Can you feel it? The thrilling static in the air? It’s
because the world’s top 500 supercomputers are now
all run on Linux. The last couple of non-Linux Chinese
holdouts have dropped out of the list, superseded by newer
Linux-running replacements.
An unstoppable combination of factors help foster this
environment: generational expertise though open source in
academia, research labs and beyond make it the prime choice
for development. Built-in support for high-performance
commodity components, drives down hardware costs and
speeds development. The modular and scalable nature of the
kernel ensures that it can be tailored to any task. Reliability,
efficiency and more all mean that Linux is now the only choice
for high-performance computing.
That’s lovely, but how does it apply to your perfectly capable
AMD Athlon XP from 2003? All the features of the
Linux kernel that make it perfect for powering supercomputers,
apply to your 15-year old technology, too. If properly motivated,
kernel developers and distro maintainers can still compile and
package compatible kernels and the required software to run
on. It’ll run as fast and smoothly as your hardware allows. But
for how much longer?

Can you feel it? The thrilling static in the air? It’s
because the world’s top 500 supercomputers are now
all run on Linux. The last couple of non-Linux Chinese
holdouts have dropped out of the list, superseded by newer
Linux-running replacements.
An unstoppable combination of factors help foster this
environment: generational expertise though open source in
academia, research labs and beyond make it the prime choice
for development. Built-in support for high-performance
commodity components, drives down hardware costs and
speeds development. The modular and scalable nature of the
kernel ensures that it can be tailored to any task. Reliability,
efficiency and more all mean that Linux is now the only choice
for high-performance computing.
That’s lovely, but how does it apply to your perfectly capable
AMD Athlon XP from 2003? All the features of the
Linux kernel that make it perfect for powering supercomputers,
apply to your 15-year old technology, too. If properly motivated,
kernel developers and distro maintainers can still compile and
package compatible kernels and the required software to run
on. It’ll run as fast and smoothly as your hardware allows. But
for how much longer?

People love being passionate and it seems nothing gets people more worked up than meddling with their desktop environment. Gnome 3 was originally released back in April 2011 – that’s over six years ago – and yet people are still posting sweary rants online as if the release had just happened. There was a similarly strong reaction when Ubuntu switched to the Unity desktop in Ubuntu 11.04, with people rage quitting Ubuntu hoping it all crashed and burned.And yes, we still get letters to this day stating the like.